It starts with a victory, but ends as a failure

However, police arrested 85 protesters for breaking and entering, and confiscated at least three handguns and dozens of knives and machetes.

 "The seizure was symbolic but not permanent. It was a consequence of the station, which is being used as a political tool or mouthpiece for the government," PAD spokesman Suriyasia Katasila explained later. He said the PAD wanted to show the government no longer had the legitimacy to rule the country.

 Protesters stormed into NBT studios to disrupt broadcasts and tried at link ASTV's signal so it could be aired via NBT as soon as possible. That was intended to show how the state media is being used as a tool.

 After the raid, a battle for the station ensued. The protesters and NBT staff fought for control of NBT's screens.

 NBT staff set up a makeshift studio at Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters. TV footage of protesters breaking through police barriers, rushing into the office building and broadcast station, plus interviews with scared NBT staff, were reportedly run on the channel all day.

 But the PAD protesters only had a short moment of success. Although they seized the station, forced the staff out and cut off power, they failed to get ASTV programmes shown on NBT screens.

 Other PAD protesters then raided NBT's mobile studio at the Metropolitan Police Bureau and seized NBT's outdoor broadcasting vehicle. But the NBT managed to broadcast more programmes from other places, including the provinces, although they occasionally had some problems with bad signals.

 An expert on television explained that to air any picture or TV footage on NBT people needed to shoot a signal via satellite to a large antenna set up at the Baiyoke Building.

 To do so, the signal sender needs a password. But the PAD protesters didn't have this, so their ultimate mission - to show ASTV - failed.

 It started with a victory, but ended as a failure.